Donor Relations Specialist

Position Summary: Nashville Ballet seeks a motivated, relationship-oriented Donor Relations Specialist to help cultivate the organization’s culture of philanthropy through annual giving, donor engagement, and strategic fundraising initiatives. This position is responsible for managing a portfolio of annual donors and prospects who give up to $2,500, developing meaningful donor relationships, and implementing strategies to increase donor acquisition, retention, and upgrades. Working collaboratively with the Director of Development, the Donor Relations Specialist will implement annual fund initiatives, execute multi-channel fundraising campaigns, conduct prospect research, and create exceptional stewardship experiences that inspire ongoing investment in Nashville Ballet’s mission. The Donor Relations Specialist will also support corporate partnerships, fundraising events, and department-wide initiatives while serving as a key ambassador for the organization. The ideal candidate is a proactive relationship builder with strong communication and organizational skills, a passion for connecting donors to impact, and a desire to grow a career in philanthropy. This role offers the opportunity to directly influence fundraising success while helping ensure that Nashville Ballet continues to inspire audiences, educate young people, and enrich the community through the transformative power of dance. Job Responsibilities Annual Giving & Portfolio Management: Serve as the primary relationship manager for Nashville Ballet’s annual donors and prospects giving up to $2,500 annually. Manage a portfolio of annual donors and qualified prospects through personalized cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal strategies. Develop and execute individualized engagement plans to retain, upgrade, and acquire annual fund donors. Conduct donor visits, phone calls, virtual meetings, and personalized outreach throughout the year. Solicit annual gifts through face-to-face meetings, email, phone, and written proposals. Collaborate with the Director of Development to identify donors ready to transition into higher giving levels. Maintain accurate donor records, contact reports, and next steps in Tessitura. Monitor donor retention, renewal, and upgrade metrics and recommend strategies to improve performance. Annual Fund Campaigns: Execute Nashville Ballet’s annual fundraising campaigns. Coordinate GivingTuesday, fiscal year-end, calendar year-end, and other annual fund appeals with the Donor Engagement & Stewardship Manager. Assist with campaign strategy, segmentation, messaging, and execution. Coordinate direct mail and email fundraising efforts in partnership with Marketing. Track campaign performance and prepare reports measuring participation, retention, and revenue. Identify opportunities to increase recurring giving and monthly donor participation. Donor Stewardship & Engagement Develop meaningful stewardship experiences that strengthen donor relationships. Coordinate donor recognition and acknowledgment processes. Ensure timely thank-you letters, impact reports, and personalized stewardship. Plan and support cultivation events, rehearsal experiences, backstage tours, and donor receptions. Corporate Support Support sponsorship cultivation and fulfillment. Assist with proposal preparation, benefit tracking, and sponsor stewardship. Conduct prospect research for corporate and foundation opportunities. Development Operations & Team Support Maintain donor records and gift documentation in Tessitura. Generate donor reports and portfolio analytics. Conduct prospect research to identify new individual giving opportunities. Represent Nashville Ballet at performances, fundraising events, and community engagement opportunities. Support department-wide fundraising initiatives and special projects as assigned. Qualifications Education Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. Experience 3+ years of nonprofit fundraising experience required. Experience with Tessitura donor databases or CRM systems preferred. Experience in an arts organization is a plus. Knowledge & Skills Excellent organizational and project management skills. Strong written and verbal communication. Exceptional attention to detail. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; advanced Excel skills preferred. Ability to maintain confidentiality and provide exceptional customer service. Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends in support of performances and fundraising events. Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are a non-exhaustive list of those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this position successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to handle, feel, talk, and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms above the shoulders. The employee is frequently required to sit and occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative to those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Disclaimer Statement: This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with the job. While this document is intended to be an accurate description of the current job, circumstances may require that other, or different tasks be performed (e.g., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs, or technological developments). Nashville Ballet provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Additional Information 401(k) Employee assistance program Health insurance Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance Details Date Posted: August 26, 2026 Type: Full-Time Service Area: Arts / Culture Salary Range: 50,000-56,000 Working Hours: M-F 9:00 am - 6 pm, Weekends and evenings as needed #J-18808-Ljbffr Nashville Ballet